The Terrorism in London and what it means

I was on a discussion board populated mostly by UK'ers today and of course just about all that was being discussed was the terror attacks today on London's mass transit system.

Several times, people opined that "This won't further their (the Islamists) cause."

What these people can't seem to wrap their head around is that the Islamists are not working toward a world in which we'll all be "friends." They're working toward a world run strictly according to their perception of Allah's plan for us all.

Unfortunately, this is inevitably going to drive us deeper and deeper into a police state, which is what they want and is equally well inevitable.

But while making police and soldiers an everyday presence in our largest cities will thwart some and maybe even much terrorism, it won't thwart all of it, and so our daily lives will become more and more like that of the Israelis.

The Brits have been through this before, in the heyday of IRA terrorism, when bombs went off from time to time. That is coming to the US.

The hard part is going to be to fight terrorism while maintaining some semblance of democracy.

Without doubt, profiling will have to be a part of it simply because security personnel are a limited resource and will have to be used in the most rational way instead of the most sensitive way. Facial recognition software will come to be used at airports. We'll be going back to universal carry-on searches and not just spot searches. In fact, there may be no more carry-on luggage in the future, except for people with an actual need to carry something on board, who may have to apply for a permit in advance.

I mentioned that security inspectors are a limited resource. Our current weak spot is the bus and train terminal, so expect to see attacks on Amtrak stations and Greyhound terminals. Expect a suicide bomber to be riding a city bus wearing a vest that's also a bomb.

All of this is on the way, so people get ready. It's going to be a long, bumpy ride!